July 13, 2020
Dear Colleague: Update on the July Floor Schedule
Dear Colleague:
As the House continues to do its job to address the COVID-19 pandemic, racial injustice, and must-pass legislation, I write to share with you the schedule of Floor business for the remainder of July.
Committees are continuing to meet under the provisions of H. Res. 965 to mark up bills so they are ready for consideration on the Floor during the weeks of July 20 and July 27. I want to thank Members for their hard work in committee these past weeks as our committees have adapted to new procedures to ensure that the critical legislative work that we perform in service to the American people continues unabated. I also want to thank all those who have been observing social distancing guidelines and wearing masks while attending in-person meetings of the House and committees.
On Monday, July 20 and Tuesday, July 21, the House will consider the 2021 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). Votes are expected as early as 11:30 a.m. that Monday, and I expect Tuesday will have votes on NDAA amendments, motions to recommit, and passage stretching throughout the day. On Wednesday, July 22, we will consider the No Ban Act and the Access to Counsel Act. Also Wednesday, we will take up the Great American Outdoors Act, a Senate-passed bill to fund the Land and Water Conservation Fund permanently and invest in the protection of America’s cherished National Parks for generations to come. The House will also consider a bill that I have introduced with Rep. Barbara Lee, Majority Whip Jim Clyburn, Congressional Black Caucus Chair Karen Bass, Chairman Bennie Thompson, and Rep. G.K. Butterfield to remove the bust of Chief Justice Roger B. Taney, the author of the 1857 Dred Scott ruling, from the Old Supreme Court Chamber and to address the issue of Confederate statues on display in the Capitol. On Thursday, July 23, and Friday, July 24, the House will consider the first package of FY2021 appropriations bills: State & Foreign Operations; Military Construction & Veterans Affairs; Agriculture; and Interior & Environment.
On Monday, July 27, the House will consider Rep. José Serrano’s legislation to create a National Museum of the Latino in the Smithsonian Institution. The House will also consider two child-care bills, H.R. 7027 and H.R. 7327. Later in the week, the House will continue its work on appropriations with consideration of a second package of bills in order to prevent a shutdown by ensuring that most government funding measures are passed well in advance of the end of the fiscal year. We will also consider the Water Resources Development Act as well as Senate-passed legislation to establish a Commission on the Social Status of Black Men and Boys, which has been championed in the House by Rep. Frederica Wilson.
During July, the House will continue to conduct its oversight work in response to the commutation of Roger Stone’s sentence and to the intelligence assessment that Russia paid bounties for the killing of U.S. service-members in Afghanistan. Of course, we hope that the Senate will act quickly with long-overdue action on the Heroes Act or other legislation to address the impacts of COVID-19 so the House can respond by the end of the week of July 27. Regardless, the House will return, if needed, to do its job whenever required to help Americans get through this crisis. As has been the case since the start of the pandemic, I will continue to provide at least twenty-four hours’ notice to Members prior to any unscheduled Floor action.
It is my hope that the House can complete its work on all of these items in a responsible and timely fashion and in a way that does not infringe on Members’ previously scheduled work as part of the August District Work Period. If we are able to do so, the House will have passed legislation to fund 96% of the government before the end of July for the second time in two years, reflecting the commitment of the Democratic House Majority to governing responsibly For The People.
Sincerely,
STENY H. HOYER
House Majority Leader